AJK Election Phase 1: PML-N Wins 9 of 13 Mirpur Division Seats

The first phase of the 45-seat Azad Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly election was held in the Mirpur division, with PML-N winning 9 of 13 constituencies according to preliminary results, and PPP and independents splitting the remainder. Polling proceeded under heavy security amid scuffles, violence, and mutual accusations of rigging between PML-N and PPP. The vote is the first since the AJK Supreme Court's June ruling upholding the 12 refugee-reserved seats that triggered weeks of deadly JAAC-led unrest; the Joint Awami Action Committee urged a boycott of the election, and mobile/internet services remained suspended across much of the territory, with Poonch division sealed off for weeks ahead of later polling phases.